Museum Tour Preview

Welcome to The Oldest House Museum! Step back into Key West Pre-Victorian times with us as we introduce you to the oldest wooden house in Florida, the Watlington Family who lived in this home for over 140 years and what life was like in early Key West.

Tour our home and gardens at your leisure and imagine what life was like back in the 1830’s to 1850’s as you journey through the history portrayed in these rooms. We are excited that you decided to join us for your step back in time!

Please enjoy this 2 minute video before you enter the house

(waiting for video)

Food and drink are not permitted in the house

• Please do not touch the furniture or the artifacts in the house
• Please do not sit on any of the couches and chairs - they are delicate
• Children under 12 are welcome to visit; please watch them carefully to make sure they do not touch or grab the artifacts
• Public bathrooms are located on the right side of the Garden area
• Photography IS ALLOWED

In the 1800’s, Key West looked much different than it does today. Picture a wild and untamed island populated with about 500 people.

The majority of people living here were connected to the Maritime trade.

Duval Street consisted of hard-packed dirt and dusty coral. The only way to get to Key West is by sea - there were no roads and the railway wouldn't be built until 1912.

It was hot and there was no air conditioning, no water flow to the house and no electricity.

The mosquitoes were thicker than air and any means of eradicating them were primitive and not very effective.

Yes, there is no doubt that life in Key West was challenging.

The house is a one and a half story "New England Bahama House" also known as a Classic Revival five-bay center hall plan.

Richard W. Cussans, a ship building carpenter apprentice from the Bahamas, built this house and 5 others like it on the corner of Whitehead and Caroline Streets somewhere between 1825 and 1829.

The house was built from lumber sourced in South Florida, including cypress, cedar, and most certainly Dade County Pine which was often used in Key West homes. These wood materials are renowned for their durability in Florida’s harsh environment. A frame was built of large timbers, without the use of nails, which stress the wood and can cause cracks and splits. Joinery, mortise and tenon, posts and beams were fitted together mechanically and secured with holes bored and pegged. A method used in wooden ship building, this creates a tight and rigid structure that is unlikely to fail from cracks and breakage due to stresses. Additionally, the framing was sheathed on both exterior and interior supporting walls with one inch thick pine boards using cut nails. This box-in-a-box construction made the building even more rigid and tough. The house stands on strong, stone pillars which kept the foundation sturdy over time.

Over the years, the house has been expanded as needed to house additional family members as well as to ventilate and allow air flow through the rooms to remain as cool as possible.

The architecture of the oldest house Key West has is one that's commonly seen throughout the southern United States where weather is often hot and sweltering. The style is typically referred to as New England Bahama and it includes a center hallway, with the various rooms branching off from the main corridor.

Built in 1829, the house has the distinction of not only being the oldest home in south Florida, but of one that has survived a variety of disruptions and disasters:

In 1832, a portion of the house was relocated from its original location on Whitehead St to its current location here on Duval St. It endured the arduous process of being placed on rollers and slowly being pulled by mules to its new location. After positioning the house on Duval St, it was expanded to add rooms for the Watlington family.

In 1846 - The Great Hurricane of 1846, which happened on October 11th and 12th, was estimated to be a category-5 hurricane by experts today. Almost all the houses in Key West, except for eight, including The Oldest House, were destroyed or damaged. The Sand Key and harbor lighthouses were destroyed, and the water rose to about 8 feet in the lower streets.

In 1886 - The Great Fire of 1886 – 50 buildings were destroyed downtown KW, but the Oldest House escaped being burned

It was common custom to leave your calling card on the front entry table as you entered. Calling cards became popular at the end of the 18th century and bore the visitor's name, title and residence. Their purpose was to prevent errors by forgetful servants. Calling cards were displayed on special trays often set up on the front hallways, visible to all who came into the house. Cards from high ranking individuals and titled folks gave additional status to the household displaying their cards.

Mario Sanchez - insert info and pics about Sanchez

High ceilings and pass through front and back doors to keep cool

The Watlingtons were a family of high status in the community and often entertained other society elites in Key West. Their parlor was often used for gatherings of friends, family and guests to come together to enjoy socializing, piano music, food, drinks and playing favorite games.

During the Victorian era, the parlor was the front room of every middle and high-class homes and for some, used exclusively to receive and entertain guests and for others, used as an environment for family time together.

The parlor was the reflection of who the family was and therefore a lot of money and thought went into consideration for the furnishings and designs. The word parlor originates from the French word parlëure or parler which means “to speak” or “conversation.”

In the 18th Century, having a parlor room was proof of having a high ranking status. The family either purchased expensive furniture or furniture that looks expensive. It was the room where the family displayed their best furnishings, work of art and other forms of status ciphers. The parlor was a room for the family to validate gentility and proper behavior was heavily enforced among family members and guests.

To keep up with the popular styles, magazines such as Godey’s Lady Book and Harper’s Bazaar published the latest trends and what was desirable and what was not. It was up to the lady of the house to meet those expectations. “To the lady of the house, the parlor was, or supposed to be the expression of her refinement and the stage on which she displayed her breeding, her bibelots, her poise and her culture.”

Placeholder for Info about dining room in general

Note: The upstairs area is currently closed off for use as OIRF offices and storage

Back when the Watlington daughters were growing up, the entire upstairs area was one large room and it is believed that many of the daughters slept in this space.

When Emeline began taking in boarders, the room would have been partitioned for privacy to accommodate the needs of the boarder.

There used to be an outside stairway up to the 2nd floor so the boarders would have their own separate entrance to the house. The stairway was removed sometime in the 1900’s.

The Captain’s room and the room on the opposite side of the porch were not part of the original house. They were built in 1885 when Captain Watlington came back to the home to live out his final years.

The desk and the chair are original to the Watlington family. The captain's desk is mahogany, slant lid type with carved claw feet, c. 1830. The rocking chair with recently restored caning dates 1838 and was the Captain's favorite chair. Still in room?

Above the entry door you can see the "landlubber's tilt". Is it a case of laziness or too much rum? Not really - it was probably part of another structure that was used to complete the room.

Cookhouses were very common in the 1700 and 1800s. Kitchens were separate from the main house for many reasons, but the most important issue was fire. Outside kitchens also removed excess heath and odors from the main house. The use of a cookhouse also had a social aspect in early America. The guests or people being served did not have to view the preparation of the meal. They would just enjoy the finished product.

Here in Key West separate cookhouses were the norm to keep the heat away from the house. Fear of fire was the other reason. The cookhouse behind the Oldest House dates to approximately 1838 and is the last remaining original cookhouse in Key West. Emeline Watlington had a servant to do most of the cooking. As the lady of the house she was involved with the planning of daily meals. This kitchen has a beehive baking oven, used for breads, pastries, and various baking needs. The kitchen never lost all its heat from day to day. The process of keeping a kitchen heated was a constant effort but between uses it often retained a great deal of heat, making it easier to start fires back up. Charcoal was burned in the hearth. Most cookhouses had spits for roasting meats. Pots and kettles could also be swung over the fire for cooking. Women spent much of their time and energy preparing food. It was also dangerous because of women's fashions - long, full skirted dresses that could easily catch fire. Planning daily eating also took time. They spent hours keeping the fire and oven hot to cook all planned food and meals for the day. With lack of refrigeration many foods were canned, pickled, dried, salted, or smoked. These processes took place in the cookhouse.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the cookhouse on the grounds of The Oldest House is its wood construction. The timbers are massive, probably triple the dimensions of the wood used in the actual construction of the house. Every indication is that the timbers were salvaged from large Key West wrecks, dating from the early 19th century, if not older. The planks were hand hewn and clearly show the vertical saw marks as seen on ships of that period. The material is sturdy enough to be oak, and there are the tell-tale signs of old worm holes as often seen on American and British sailing ships of the period.

The water required for use in the cookhouse was stored close by, in a cistern located under the corner of the house. Rainwater was fed directly through a drainpipe from the roof of the main house, into the cistern. Access to the cistern was through a hatch cover outside the back door of the house, and water was carried in buckets by the servants, to wherever it was needed.

Back in the 1800’s, there was no drinking water in Key West. From time to time, the city tried to drill wells, but there was always saltwater intrusion. It wasn't until 1942 that the Navy started piping water from the mainland down to Key West. This is still how we get our water - through pipers across the Florida Bay.

Before that, all houses in Key West had cisterns like this one. Rainwater was gathered into the cistern and this was their only source of water for drinking, cooking and bathing. They floated kerosene on top of the water from under the kerosene. When the cistern water got low and started tasting odd, all they could do was hope for more rain. They had no other options.

The largest are the Cuban trees mamoncilla, a sweet-tart fruit for quenching the thirst; banana trees, coconut palms, oleander bushes.

One of the oldest trees is our Spanish Lime tree ….

From old pictures, there is evidence of trellises in the garden area which means they most likely grew fruit and vegetables for family consumption. As it was extremely difficult to have these items shipped into Key West, it would have been practical to grow ones’ own perishables.

We are proud of one of our newest garden features! Visitors who appreciate history and The Oldest House wanted a way to donate funds to the museum by buying a commemorative brick, so the Brick Garden was added in 2021.

Help preserve the museum for future visitors by donating $200 to have your custom message put on a brick that will be integrated into our beautiful Brick Garden area and be a permanent part of Key West history!

(link to OIRF.org)

Who Owns the House Now?

After the last descendant, Earle Johnson left the house in 1972, Rosemary Austin of Islamorada purchased the house so it would be historically preserved and not torn down. She then donated it to The State of Florida who now owns the home. Old Island Restoration Foundation (OIRF.org) manages the property and makes it available to visitors.

OIRF.org is a 501 (c3) nonprofit organization founded in 1960 dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the historic architecture and cultural heritage of Key West. Through private donations and memberships from individuals, businesses and public agencies the foundation is working to raise funds to preserve and maintain the Oldest House Museum and Gardens in South Florida, provide innovative programming, cultural events and grants for significant and worthy historical restoration projects in Key West.

Are the floors original?

No, unfortunately the floors were in bad condition when OIRF restored the house in the 1970s. The flooring now is ________

Where did everyone sleep?

Sometimes multiple children slept in the beds, porches were utilized - cooler

Why didn’t Captain Watlington come back to live in the house after the War?

No one knows for sure why Captain Watlington did not return to the Oldest House until after Emeline died. After the Civil War ended, he maintained residence in Mobile, Alabama until he returned in xxxx to live until he dies in 1887

What is upstairs and why is it not open to the public?

The upstairs area was an active part of the house at one time, maybe used for the children or boarders but our offices and storage are located up there now. The upstairs is not part of the tour.

How they gathered and distributed water in the house

Tom?

How did they get by with no refrigeration?

Preserve by salting

Probably grew vegetables in the garden

What could they do to avoid yellow fever?

Not much - mosquito netting

Anything else?

Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1888

By Joanna Grey Talbot

As with many diseases in the 1800s, doctors did not know what caused them or how they spread. One such disease was yellow fever. It is called that because the skin and eyes of those who are infected turn a yellow hue. At the time, before a vaccine was created, those who suffered from it could die within a couple days or recover within a week. It was a very scary disease and all kinds of different measures were taken to hinder the spread of it but unfortunately, were not always successful.

In 1888 a yellow fever epidemic struck Florida with full force. It reached its height over the summer because as we know now it is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes. One of many towns that dealt with it was Gainesville. It began to rear its ugly head there in September as a result of infected guardsmen returning from Fernandina. They had been sent there to help the city officials control a labor strike at the docks without knowing that Fernandina already had confirmed cases of the disease.

At the time it was popular belief that yellow fever was caused by poor sanitation and hygiene so many people fled the city before a quarantine was put in place. Within a couple days of the yellow fever cases being announced nearly two-thirds of Gainesville’s population had left and wouldn’t return until the epidemic had passed. The city officials and county health officer instituted a quarantine and placed guards at all rail and road entrances to the county.

By the time the city’s epidemic had ended in December, there had been 116 confirmed cases and 16 deaths, although the actual total may never be known. In 1890 a memorial was erected by the Gainesville Guard to remember their brothers-in-arms and other citizens who had died as a result of the disease. It was placed on the courthouse square downtown but subsequently moved to Evergreen Cemetery in 1922 where it still stands today.

Although this statewide epidemic was horrific, the positive result of it was that in 1889 the state finally formed a State Board of Health to help coordinate efforts for future epidemics, along with helping to improve public health. Dr. Joseph Y. Porter, a Key West physician who had coordinated Jacksonville’s efforts during the yellow fever scourge, was named the first State Health Officer. Up until the creation of the state board, each county had its own board that reported directly to the governor. This made for very inefficient communication and varying degrees of quarantine during epidemics.

Sources: Laurie, Murray. “Yellow Peril of 1888,” Gainesville Sun, October 24, 2009. http://www.gainesville.com/news/20091024/yellow-peril-of-1888

Florida Memory, State Library & Archives of Florida. “Epidemic Disease and the Establishment of the Board of Health.” https://www.floridamemory.com/exhibits/medicine/disease/